FA could stick the boot into Eden Hazard after kicking Swansea ball boy

FA could stick the boot into Eden Hazard after kicking Swansea ball boy

FA could stick the boot into Eden Hazard after kicking Swansea ball boy

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Red card: Chelsea's Eden Hazard trudges off the pitch

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Kick: The ball boy recovers after he was kicked in the ribs by the star

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Marching orders: Chris Foy shows red

The Football Association are today considering whether Eden Hazard should be handed a longer ban for kicking a ballboy during Chelsea’s Capital One Cup semi-final exit against Swansea last night.

Hazard was shown a red card by referee Chris Foy with 10 minutes remaining after clashing with 17-year-old Charlie Morgan.

It appeared he kicked the teenager — who was trying to waste time by holding and dropping on top of the ball — in the ribs as he looked to retrieve possession for Swansea to take a goal-kick.

Hazard will automatically be handed a three-game ban — missing games at Brentford, Reading and Newcastle — but such is the seriousness of the incident, the FA could extend his suspension and issue a fine.

They will study Foy’s match report as well as TV footage before making a decision over whether to charge him with bringing the game into disrepute, although Chelsea hope they will take the midfielder’s public apology shortly after the match into account.

He also said sorry to Morgan in the dressing room and local police insisted that they will not be taking the matter any further.

But Hazard, who joined from Lille for £32million in the summer, is still facing a worrying wait over the FA’s verdict and could also be fined by Chelsea for his actions.

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has leapt to Hazard’s defence and told the BBC it is time for ballboys to no longer be allowed at football games.

There has been a growing number of incidents involving ballboys in recent seasons and Nevin feels they are having a negative effect on the game.

When speaking about the clash involving Hazard, he added: “I was very disappointed with the way that the ballboy acted. He must have been watching footballers with the manner in which he rolled around.

“He’s only got one job and his job is to go and give the ball back. What does he do? He keeps it. I was amazed this morning to find he’s 17. He should know what his actions should be in that situation. His behaviour was disgraceful.”

Asked whether he would have kicked the ballboy, Nevin replied: “I would have kicked the ball out from underneath him if he was behaving like that.”

However, former referee Dermot Gallagher is adamant Hazard has to answer for his actions and said: “The referee has taken the correct action. It’s against the laws of the game to commit violent conduct on anyone under the jurisdiction of the game. The action which has been taken is strong and correct.”